Emergency preparedness used to be something of a niche interest, but as extreme weather events become more frequent and more intense, an increasing number of people are realizing that it actually makes a lot of sense to have a plan — or several — in place for the worst-case scenarios.
One place where these people like to solicit or dole out advice is the r/preppers subreddit. In one recent post on the forum, one member asked how to prepare for a snowstorm that would shut them in their home.
"Over the weekend there was a snowstorm about 2 hours away from me that hit so hard they had to designate it an emergency. There were people [...] posting about being stuck in their homes, no power, phones are going to die, they're cold af," the poster wrote. "... I have four kids, two cats. Really don't have that solid a game plan for being snowed in without power or heat for days on end beyond the basics like food and water."
🗣️ What supplies do you keep on hand in case of a blackout?
🔘 Just a flashlight 🔦
🔘 A few camping lanterns 😎
🔘 A full-on emergency kit 🆘
🔘 I don't have anything 🤷
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Luckily, many of the members of the forum had already considered such a scenario, and some had even lived through one. Some of the common themes included: have multiple sources of heat, wool clothing and blankets, and potable water on hand.
Elsewhere, preppers have been providing advice on how to plan for worst-case scenarios by camping, gardening, and relying on your community for help. Others provided guidance on how to start and sustain gardening practices to be able to grow your own food.
Others had more general advice that could be applied to other types of emergency preparedness situations as well.
"I'd just like to add, always keep a positive outlook. Even when things aren't okay, they're going to be okay. Your kids will sleep better if the parents are cool, calm and collected instead of fretting over the little stuff," one commenter advised.
"We learned a lot here in Texas from the freeze of 2021," wrote another. "As a result I have an indoor safe propane heater and a generator. I also have a ton of batteries and battery powered lanterns. I have a hot plate that I can run off the generator for cooking. Also have a propane camp stove if that doesn't work."
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